book report five feet apart

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Five feet apart, common sense media reviewers.

Sweet love story of sick teens who aren't allowed to touch.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

A lot of information on cystic fibrosis: what it i

t's tough to deal with a serious illness and short

All the characters are good people doing their bes

A character falls. A patient dies in the hospital,

Because story is a romance, there's talk of longin

Infrequent swearing, including "ass," "a--hole," "

Brands and media mentioned for scene setting, most

Parents need to know that Five Feet Apart is about a budding romance between two teens in treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disease affecting the lungs and leading to severely shortened life expectancy. Though the book is essentially a romance, larger issues of how serious illnesses affect…

Educational Value

A lot of information on cystic fibrosis: what it is, what life is like for people who have it, treatments, the emotional impact. Some insight into what it is like to be in the hospital a lot.

Positive Messages

t's tough to deal with a serious illness and shortened life expectancy, but you can do it. Sometimes you have to give up trying to control everything and just live for the moment. Get to know people and practice empathy; not everyone will deal with life the way you do. Communicate your feelings with your family, truly listen to them. Sometimes you have to make big sacrifices for the ones you love. Story has many positive portrayals of friendship, love, trust.

Positive Role Models

All the characters are good people doing their best in difficult circumstances. Stella is positive, hard working, easy to love, plus she's a coder building her own app. Will seems cold at first but is a loving, caring person who takes big risks for others, does the right thing when it matters. Will's and Stella's families are going through hard times but have their kids' best interests at heart. Will's and Stella's friends are all very supportive, are there for them when needed.

Violence & Scariness

A character falls. A patient dies in the hospital, but it isn't shown.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Because story is a romance, there's talk of longing and desire. A couple goes on a date and aren't allowed to touch, but they still flirt and strip down to their underwear.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Infrequent swearing, including "ass," "a--hole," "bulls--t," "crap," "dammit," "s--t," "f---ing," "bitch," "Jesus," "God."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Brands and media mentioned for scene setting, mostly internet and social media, including YouTube, Instagram, Google, Twitter, Skype, Facebook, Snapchat, FaceTime, iPad, GoPro, Uber, Target, Sephora, Prada, Louis Vuitton.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Five Feet Apart is about a budding romance between two teens in treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disease affecting the lungs and leading to severely shortened life expectancy. Though the book is essentially a romance, larger issues of how serious illnesses affect families and the different ways patients deal with CF are important parts of the story. The content is fairly tame, in that there's no smoking, drinking, or drug use. Characters swear a little ("ass," "s--t," "f---ing") but not frequently. Romance and attraction figure largely into the story. Characters talk about sex and engage in sexy, flirtatious behavior in a few scenes, but nothing sexually graphic happens.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (17)
• Kids say (70)

Based on 17 parent reviews

Inappropriate for age 12

What's the story.

FIVE FEET APART is about two teens with cystic fibrosis (CF) dealing with first love and the uncertainty of their futures. Stella's an organized achiever who has her life in order and manages her medications and treatments efficiently. Will's the total opposite. He's a rule breaker tired of medications, hospitalizations, and drug trials for B. cepacia, the bacteria he's contracted that's complicating his CF. When Stella and Will first meet on the CF ward, they infuriate each other, but in true opposites-attract fashion, romance eventually blooms. The bacteria infecting Will is easily transmitted and drug resistant, and it drastically shortens the already short life span of CF patients. Because of these factors, he has to stay six feet away from the other patients on the ward. This is especially important for Stella, as she is waiting for a lung transplant. As the two teens work through the physical barriers to a relationship, they're also working through emotional barriers: the ones that keep them from enjoying normal teen life and activities. They grapple with tough decisions and the way their illnesses have had an impact on their families. Balancing the desire to live a carefree life with the responsibility of taking care of themselves presents an ongoing and difficult battle. They hope to fight together, but they might not get to make that call.

Is It Any Good?

In this bittersweet romance, two teens struggling with cystic fibrosis find love where they least expect to: the hospital. Five Feet Apart starts out on the formulaic side. Stella's a straight arrow who's super organized and into coding, while Will's a rule-breaking artist. Their verbal sparring early in the book sounds forced, but as the story progresses, the banter becomes more engaging and the characters gain more depth. Stella and Will have serious emotional struggles because of their disease and their family issues. As they get to know each other, they grow emotionally and add a needed balance to each other's life. It's enjoyable to see the characters give each other important emotional gifts.

The story is told in alternating points of view, and that approach works well here. Will's and Stella's voices are different enough that changing narrators each chapter isn't confusing, and there's little overlapping of action between chapters, so the story doesn't get bogged down. One glaring error to note, though: A nurse reveals a patient's diagnosis to another patient. That's against the law. Also, the kids seem to have the run of the hospital, which pushes believability pretty far.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how sick or dying teens is a common theme in many books and movies, like in Five Feet Apart . Why do you think people like these stories so much? Do you find them interesting or inspiring?

Do you think teens should make some of their own health and medical decisions? At what age should kids get a say in their health care? When should a parent's decision override a kid's?

Are you more of a "live for the moment" or a "plan ahead and work hard" kind of person? What are the pros and cons of each type of life philosophy?

Book Details

• Authors : Rachael Lippincott , Mikki Daughtry , Tobias Iaconis
• Genre : Romance
• Topics : Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models , High School
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date : November 20, 2018
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
• Number of pages : 288
• Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : June 2, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Five Feet Apart

50 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-6

Chapters 7-10

Chapters 11-14

Chapters 15-18

Chapters 19-22

Chapters 23-26

Chapters 27-29

Chapters 30-31

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

Rachael Lippincott’s 2018 novel Five Feet Apart portrays the intense relationship between meticulous Stella Grant and charming but rebellious Will Newman as they navigate life with cystic fibrosis. A genetic disease that affects both the respiratory and digestive system, cystic fibrosis significantly reduces the life span of those affected and limits their interactions with one another for fear of bacterial cross-infection. Alternating between the first-person point of view of both Stella and Will, the novel is mainly set within the fictional Saint Grace’s Hospital as their intimate relationship grows despite their inability to ever touch.

A young adult novel published by Simon and Schuster, Five Feet Apart was adapted into a popular film by the same name in 2019. Though fictional, the film is dedicated to Claire Wineland, a cystic fibrosis patient who helped create the film and, like Stella, created YouTube videos of her experiences with the disease. Claire died one week after receiving a lung transplant the year before the film’s release.

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Plot Summary

Five Feet Apart documents the two weeks over which Stella Grant and Will Newman, both cystic fibrosis patients at Saint Grace’s Hospital, fall in love amid a physical separation that does not allow them to touch. A regular patient at Saint Grace’s since age six, Stella sees the hospital as a second home filled with childhood memories. Will, a new addition to Saint Grace’s, has experienced life in hospitals around the world under the controlling nature of his wealthy single mother. A rule-follower, Stella attempts to maintain a rigorous medical routine intended to ensure her survival in the aftermath of her older sister Abby’s sudden death. A rule-breaker, Will impatiently awaits his 18th birthday as a beacon of uncharted independence free from the tyranny of monotonous hospital life.

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The novel begins with Stella, a popular YouTuber who chronicles her life with cystic fibrosis, readmitted to Saint Grace’s for decreasing lung function as she struggles to balance life between her newly divorced parents. She asserts that her parents would collapse under their grief if she died. To ensure her survival, Stella relies on a strict regimen complete with an app she has created for chronic illness patients. On her way to visit her childhood friend Poe, also a cystic fibrosis patient, Stella encounters an unfamiliar patient whose disregard of the hospital rules disgusts her.

The new patient, Will Newman, spots Stella watching him and, out of boredom and attraction, follows her. Stella and Will instantly clash over Stella’s disgust with Will’s disobedience and Will’s mocking of Stella’s rigidity. After being chided by the respiratory therapist Barb, who is a close friend of Stella’s, for straying from the third floor, Will returns to his room and reflects on his impatience for his upcoming birthday, when he will finally be free from his mother’s control, as she constantly moves him to various international hospitals searching for the newest treatment to cure him. Suffering from B. cepacia , a bacterial infection of the lungs, Will has lost his place on the lung transplant list and longs for the freedom to die peacefully outside a hospital. An artist, Will imagines the scene in his head. Curious about Stella, he discovers her YouTube page.

Barb warns Stella about Will’s B. cepacia and the deadly consequences of infection. Stella notices a bit of redness on her stomach but ignores it and reconnects with her friend Poe. Meanwhile, Will consumes all of Stella’s YouTube videos and, after hearing about the poor results from the clinical trial he is enrolled in, argues with his mother over his desire for independence. Frustrated, Will escapes to the roof. From her bedroom, Stella observes Will about to fall from the roof and rushes to save him. She discovers Will safe on the roof and, after becoming aggravated at his flippant threats to jump, leaves the roof and sets off the alarm. Will flees before being discovered while an unnerved Stella struggles to stop thinking about Will’s refusal to cooperate with his medical treatments.

The next day Stella confronts Will about his rejection of treatment and, eventually, strikes a deal with Will that she will pose for a drawing if Will completes his treatments. Will reluctantly agrees and, upon returning to his room, strikes up a conversation with Poe, who shares how close he and Stella are, which makes Will jealous. Poe clarifies that he is gay, and Will opens up about his B. cepacia infection, which has spread quickly.

The next morning Stella enters Will’s room carefully and sets up his organizational system to ensure he will complete his treatments. Stella adamantly denies any romantic attraction to Will. After discovering that Will is not following his treatments as faithfully as she would like, Stella demands that they complete their treatments together. As they begin completing their treatments together over video chat, Stella and Will grow closer.

Later, during their workout together, Stella poses for Will’s drawing to fulfill her side of their deal. The next day Will presents Stella with the drawing, which features Stella as an angry cartoon doctor. As Stella thanks Will for the drawing, he remarks on a drawing behind her that was drawn by her sister Abby . Stella shuts down the conversation, much to Will’s confusion. After investigating Stella’s YouTube videos, Will realizes that Abby has not been featured in Stella’s videos for over a year. At the gym the next morning, he asks Stella what happened to Abby, and Stella confesses that Abby is dead before abruptly leaving.

Back in her room, Stella contends with the guilt she feels over Abby’s death because she could not attend the trip to Arizona at the last minute. Abby died on this trip while cliff jumping. Stella recalls her failed attempts to keep her parents together after Abby’s death and her own grief over losing Abby’s comforting presence in her own life. She reaches out to Poe, who calms her. Stella soon finds that her stomach has become infected; Dr. Hamid says she has to have surgery early the next morning.

Distraught over his fight with Stella, Will speaks with Poe in the chapel, where Poe confesses his own struggles as the child of a deportee living on his own. Later that night Will visits Stella, who informs him of her surgery. Seeing Stella’s anxiety, Will concocts a plan. Before Stella’s surgery, Will surprises and comforts her with both Abby’s drawing and the sisters’ favorite song. As Will leaves the operation room, Will overhears Barb yelling at Stella’s parents for their inability to set aside their differences for Stella. Spotting Will, Barb disciplines him for risking Stella’s life. Barb shares the story of a couple just like Stella and Will who died after infecting one another with B. cepacia .

Stella wakes up from surgery and attempts to thank Will for his support. After Will does not return her calls or show up to a meeting she arranges between the two of them, Stella learns about Barb’s lecture to Will from Poe. Stella goes to Will’s room to confront him, but he refuses to change his mind for fear that he will kill her. Poe agrees with Barb and Will, leading to a fight between him and Stella. They reconcile the next day.

Will receives an envelope from Stella under his door and a link to Stella’s latest YouTube video. In the video Stella challenges the medically mandated six feet of distance she and Will must maintain at all times; in Stella’s version, she changes the mandate to five feet of distance in an act of defiance against the rules that keep them separate. They arrange to meet later that evening.

On their first date that night, the night before Will’s birthday, Stella and Will maintain five feet distance and divulge personal truths, ranging from Will’s father abandoning him to their views of the afterlife. The date ends hours later, after they receive a notice from Poe that Barb is searching for them. They narrowly escape Barb’s notice. On his birthday, Will fights with his mother, whom he accuses of not knowing him. His mother storms off. He instantly regrets his accusations upon seeing his mother’s thoughtful gift of an original cartoon print he adores. He realizes he has misconceived his mother’s care for him as control. Both Stella and his friend Jason say they cannot see him on his birthday, making Will sad.

Later that afternoon Will discovers a scavenger hunt created by Stella that leads him to a surprise party Stella planned with their friends. The party is eventually broken up by an angry Barb, who escorts them back to their rooms and threatens Will with a transfer to another hospital. Just as Stella is about to fall asleep later that night, she hears alarms from Poe’s room and discovers that he has stopped breathing. Poe is pronounced dead shortly after. Will attempts to comfort Stella, but she pushes him away. She later escapes to the roof and observes Will leaving the hospital.

Upset over Stella’s rejection of him and Barb’s threats to transfer him, Will waits in the lobby for his Uber when he encounters Stella through the hospital’s glass doors. She beckons him outside and convinces Will to follow her to a park two miles away. Will reluctantly agrees, and they take multiple breaks on their trek to the park. As they skate around a frozen pond, Stella reads one of the many messages coming to her phone. She sees that the messages are Barb informing her of a lung transplant in the next three hours. Without informing Will, Stella decides to forego the lung transplant in favor of spending any time she can with him. Will soon receives the same messages on his phone from his mother and attempts to convince Stella to agree to the transplant. As they passionately discuss Stella’s transplant, Stella falls into the frozen pond and begins to drown.

Stella struggles to breathe and, feeling a hand rescuing her, reunites with her sister Abby from the afterlife. Stella observes Will trying to resuscitate her as Abby begs Stella to choose life. Will collapses from exhaustion. Stella wakes up in the hospital, calls out for Will, and informs her parents that she does not want the lung transplant. She expresses her desire to be with Will and knows that she and Will cannot be together if she has the transplant. Will begs Stella to accept the transplant and asks her to think about what she will gain from it. Stella finally agrees after thinking about Abby’s final request for her to live.

Stella tests negative for B. cepacia , a fear after Will administered CPR to her. Meanwhile, Will draws out scenes from their memories together in the waiting room and plans a surprise for Stella. This surprise will be his final goodbye. Stella wakes from recovery and is presented with a sketchbook of Will’s drawings. He says goodbye to her from the window and asks her to close his eyes as he walks away forever.

Eight months later, as Will and Stella wait separately for their respective planes to Brazil and Italy, Stella approaches Will. She is healthier and does not carry an oxygen tank with her, while Will looks weaker. Without speaking, Stella moves one foot closer to Will, making the distance between them only five feet apart .

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A review of Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott

Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry,  Tobias Iaconis Simon & Schuster Children’s UK March 1, 2019, 288 pages, ISBN13: 9781471184505

Calling all romantic-comedy and tear-jerker lovers! Five Feet Apart is for you! With a very ‘When Harry met Sally’ style romance and filled with beautiful, albeit, sad moments. Five Feet Apart is a gorgeous YA novel, with similar aspects to John Greens’ The Fault in Our Stars.

We meet Will Newman and Stella Grant, both with out-of-control lungs, each with different views on their way of controlling their fate. With Will’s desire to travel and escape the white-washed walls of frequent hospital visits and Stella’s need for order, control and constant regulations. When the pair meet, the rule of six feet apart (at all times) seems just too much. After all, can you love someone you can never touch?  

The book’s chapters alternate between both main characters (Will and Stella) which I quite enjoyed, and also further cemented the opposites attract dynamic between the two as the story progresses. Additionally, character development is done in a simply sweet manner and can allow the reader to sympathise. The authors of Five Feet Apart , Rachael Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis, create a family atmosphere as we come to care for these characters and discover more about them, with side-characters and parental relationships providing an interesting dialogue and insight to these characters thoughts and lives.

Five Feet Apart brings in unexpected moments as well, which I won’t go into detail about. But needless to say, I was a little shocked at certain scenes. These parts of the book both balance and juxtapose the lighter/happier aspects, and therefore almost complement each other. As we read on, Will and Stella fall for each other and struggle to come to terms with balancing their newfound romance and ongoing battle with CF. We also learn more about the secrets and pasts of Will and Stella, Will’s mixed feelings about his parents and Stella’s determination to honour her sister and maintain control of her parents and friends.

Despite common reviews, Five Feet Apart differs from The Fault In Our Stars , although the main characters do have a form of serious lung infection, the story itself is different. I would, however, recommend Five Feet Apart as a form of ‘gateway read’ to books such as The Fault In Our Stars which present heavier themes. Overall, I found this novel to be a quick read, perfect for those looking for a new book-to-movie adventure. I would give an age bracket of 13+ for this text. I found Five Feet Apart heart-warming and filled with sweet moments.

About the reviewer: Emily McDonell was first prize winner in the Hunter Writers’ Centre/Compulsive Reader book review competition. She is a high school student, an avid reader and has a passion for books. It was clear from a very early age that books would play a large part in her life. Emily has participated in the Premier’s Reading Challenge since starting her schooling and her favourite subject is English. Emily has also been a Girl Guide for the past nine years and is currently working to complete her Queen’s Guide Award. Emily also loves animals especially her dog Jersey.

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FIVE FEET APART

by Rachael Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry with Tobias Iaconis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 20, 2018

The pleasure of the protagonists’ romance notwithstanding, give this one a miss. (Romance. 14-18)

A hospital is an unlikely place for first love, but for two teenagers with cystic fibrosis who have a history of extended stays, it proves to be a realistic yet difficult backdrop.

Stella is a high school senior who is dedicated to her CF treatments while Will, a talented artist, is home-schooled and anticipating his 18th birthday, when he will be free to make his own medical decisions. Despite rocky first impressions, Stella and Will make a deal—Will must stick to his treatment regimen, and in return, Stella will model for him while he draws her portrait. This leads to romance, but the combination of CF and Will’s infection with B. cepacia requires that he must stay several feet away from Stella, making physical touch an impossibility. Stella eventually understands why living on the edge can be freeing, and Will begins taking his treatment regimen seriously—leading to their only bit of meaningful development. The novel is written in alternating chapters, creating a few unexpected plot developments, but much of it is predictable and forgettable due to thin characterization. All characters are presumed white except for gay, Colombian CF patient Poe, whose story arc fulfills tired stereotypical tropes and who seems to function mostly as a catalyst for Stella’s growth.

Pub Date: Nov. 20, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5344-3733-3

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Jan. 30, 2019

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FAMILY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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More by Rachael Lippincott

BOOK REVIEW

by Rachael Lippincott

by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

More by Laura Nowlin

by Laura Nowlin

More About This Book

SEEN & HEARD

IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.

In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me , three characters tell their sides of the story.

Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781728276229

Page Count: 416

Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

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Book Review: Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

Author: Rachael Lippincott

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

First Publication: 2018

Language:  English

Major Characters: Stella Grant, Will Newman, Meredith Newman, Jeff and Erin Grant, Poe Ramirez, Dr. Hamid, Nurse Julie, Nurse Barbara

Theme: Life and death, First Love, rebellion

Narrator:  First Person from Stella and Will’s Point of view

Book Summary: Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott was such an endearing, engaging and a sweet Teens & YA novel featuring two teenage main characters, Stella and Will who are both patients in the hospital with Cystic Fibrosis that fall in love.

Stella Grant has been in and out of hospitals her whole life. Born with Cystic Fibrosis, her best option for a better life is a lung transplant. To that end, Stella is strict about her treatment and diligent about keeping the six feet apart rule with other Cystic Fibrosis patients (as cross-contamination could be lethal).

“If I’m going to die, I’d like to actually live first.”

Will Newman also has Cystic Fibrosis but recently contracted B Cepacia, an infection that has taken him off the transplant list. He is tired of hospitals and meds. He is what Stella needs to stay away from and yet she finds that she can not. Something about Will makes Stella embrace life fully for the first time.

Similar to John Green’s ‘The Fault in Our Stars’, Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott is about two terminally ill teens that fall in love. Stella Grant is back in the hospital after a fever that would not go away and Will is in for a drug trial, hoping to eliminate the B Cepacia. Where Stella is control, Will is freedom. Stella has every minute of her day planned, she has lists. Will can not wait to turn eighteen to finally see the world beyond the hospital walls. Stella’s greatest wish is for new lungs up until she meets Will. He is dangerous to Stella as contact with him can get her off the transplant list. There must be six feet of separation at all times.

“Everyone in this world is breathing borrowed air.”

That, however, does not deter them and their feelings flourish. While there are predictable elements in Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott, as a whole it is tender, emotional and heartfelt. Its easy to root for these characters. The romance may be sudden but given the circumstances, it makes sense and their interactions felt genuine. With heart and humour, Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott is a good read.

Rachael Lippincott delivers an intriguing, emotional, well-plotted and well-written read here with relatable and likeable characters that I couldn’t help but to fall in love with. The story is told in alternating perspectives between Stella and Will and I thoroughly enjoyed both narratives equally. They complimented each other so well and I really felt for them. Both of their situations and feelings towards each other rang true and I loved how I learned so much more about Cystic Fibrosis.

The Book Five Feet Apart is adapted into a movie with Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse as lead characters.

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Five feet apart was one of the most wonderful and heart warming novels. It proves that distance brings 2 people emotionally closer to one another

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Five Feet Apart

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Five Feet Apart

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Rachael Lippincott is the coauthor of  All This Time , #1  New York Times  bestseller  Five Feet Apart ,  She Gets the Girl , and  Make My Wish Come True  and the author of  The Lucky List  and  Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh . She holds a BA in English writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, she currently resides in Pennsylvania with her wife, daughter, and dog, Hank.

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• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (March 1, 2022)
• Length: 304 pages
• ISBN13: 9781665904964
• Grades: 7 and up
• Ages: 12 - 99

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Five Feet Apart Kindle Edition

• Print length 289 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 7 - 9
• Lexile measure 780L
• Publisher Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date November 20, 2018
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Not Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
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• ISBN-13 978-1665904964
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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07CL616BJ
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Media Tie-In edition (November 20, 2018)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 20, 2018
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 14039 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages
• Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1534451560
• #45 in Teen & Young Adult Media Tie-In eBooks
• #54 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Death
• #147 in Teen & Young Adult TV, Movie, Video Game Adaptations

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Rachael Lippincott is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Feet Apart. She holds a BA in English writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, she currently resides in Pittsburgh with her wife and their dog, Hank.

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COVID Select Subcommittee Releases Dr. Fauci’s Transcript, Highlights Key Takeaways in New Memo

WASHINGTON — Today, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) released the transcript from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s transcribed interview. Dr. Fauci served as the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and was the face of America’s public health response during the COVID-19 pandemic. His closed door, 14-hour, two-day testimony in January 2024 has served as a critical component of the Select Subcommittee’s investigations into the origins of COVID-19, pandemic-era domestic policy failures, and improvements to the United States’ public health system. In conjunction with the transcript, the Select Subcommittee also released a new staff memo that highlights the key takeaways from Dr. Fauci’s transcribed interview. The memo can be found here .

The Select Subcommittee also released four additional transcripts from senior public health officials. These transcripts, as well as Dr. Fauci’s transcript, can be found below:

• Dr. Anthony Fauci Part 1
• Dr. Anthony Fauci Part 2
• Dr. Hugh Auchincloss
• Dr. Cliff Lane
• Greg Folkers
• Gray Handley

Below are important exchanges from Dr. Fauci’s transcribed interview:

SOCIAL DISTANCING : The “6 feet apart” social distancing recommendation forced on Americans by federal health officials was arbitrary and not based on science. Dr. Fauci testified that this guidance — which shut down schools and small businesses nationwide — “sort of just appeared” and was not based on any scientific studies.

Majority Counsel: “ Do you recall when discussions regarding, kind of, the at least a 6 foot threshold began? ”

Dr. Fauci: “The 6 foot in the school?”

Majority Counsel: “Six foot overall.  I mean, 6-foot was applied at businesse s—”

Dr. Fauci: “Yeah.”

Majority Counsel: “ —it was applied in schools, it was applied here.  At least how the messaging was applied was that 6-foot distancing was the distance that needed to be— “

Dr. Fauci: “ You know, I don’t recall.  It sort of just appeared.  I don’t recall, like, a discussion of whether it should be 5 or 6 or whatever.  It was just that 6 foot is— ”   

Majority Counsel: “ Did you see any studies that supported 6 feet? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ I was not aware of studies that in fact, that would be a very difficult study to do. ”

MASKING : Dr. Fauci testified that he did not recall any supporting evidence for masking children. Concerningly, mask-wearing has been associated with learning loss and severe speech development issues in America’s children.

Majority Counsel: “ Do you recall reviewing any studies or data supporting masking for children? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ You know, I might have, Mitch, but I don’t recall specifically that I did. I might have. ”

Majority Counsel: “ Since the — there’s been a lot of studies that have come out since the pandemic started, but specifically on this there have been significant on kind of like the learning loss and speech and development issues that have been associated with particularly young children wearing masks while they’re growing up. They can’t see their teacher talk and can’t learn how to form words. Have you followed any of those studies? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ No. But I believe that there are a lot of conflicting studies too, that there are those that say, yes, there is an impact, and there are those that say there’s not. I still think that’s up in the air. ”

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS : Dr. Fauci unequivocally agreed with EVERY travel restriction issued by the Trump Administration at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This testimony runs counter to the public narrative that the Trump Administration’s travel restrictions were xenophobic. During his transcribed interview, the Biden Administration’s counsel curiously prohibited Dr. Fauci from answering questions on whether he recommended the travel restrictions.

Majority Counsel: “ Did you agree with President Trump’s decision to restrict travel from China? ”                             

Dr. Fauci: “ I did , and I said there were caveats to restrictions. I agreed with it, but I said we have to be careful because sometimes when you do restrictions they have negative consequences in that you don’t have open access to help or even information. But fundamentally, I agreed at that time, since we had almost no infections that we knew of in our country, that at least a temporary restriction would be important. ”

Majority Counsel: “ Did you also agree with the EU travel restriction? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ I agreed with the suggestion that that be done, yes. ”

Majority Counsel: “ Did you agree with the U.K. travel restriction? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ Yes, I did. ”

Majority Counsel: “ Did you recommend instituting travel restrictions in response to the pandemic? ”

Biden Administration Official: “ I’m going to step in here .”

VACCINE MANDATES: Dr. Fauci admitted that vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic could increase vaccine hesitancy in the future. He also claimed that these mandates were not sufficiently studied ahead of the pandemic. Previously, Dr. Fauci advocated “that when you make it difficult for people in their lives, they lose their ideological bullshit, and they get vaccinated.”

Majority Counsel: “ Do you think mandating vaccines can result in some hesitancy? ” 

Dr. Fauci: “ I think one of the things that we really need to do after the fact, now, to — you know, after-the-game, after-the-event  evaluation of things that need to be done, we really need to take a look at the psyche of  the country, have maybe some social-type studies to figure out, does the mandating of vaccines in the way the country’s mental framework is right now, does that actually cause more people to not want to get vaccinated, or not? I don’t know. But I think that’s something we need to know. ”

LAB LEAK THEORY : Dr. Fauci acknowledged that the lab leak hypothesis is not a conspiracy theory. This comes nearly four years after prompting the publication of the now infamous “Proximal Origin” paper that attempted to vilify and disprove the lab leak hypothesis.

Majority Counsel: “ Just you sitting here today, do you think the possibility or the hypothesis that the coronavirus emerged from a laboratory accident is a conspiracy theory? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ Well, it’s a possibility. I think people have made conspiracy aspects from it.  And I think you have to separate the two when you keep an open mind, that it could be a lab leak or it could be a natural occurrence. I’ve mentioned in this committee that I believe the evidence that I’ve seen weighs my opinion towards one, which is a natural occurrence, but I still leave an open mind. So I think that in and of itself isn’t inherently a conspiracy theory, but some people spin off things from that that are kind of crazy .”

GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH : Dr. Fauci repeatedly played semantics with the definition of “gain-of-function” research in an effort to avoid conceding that the NIH’s funded this dangerous research in China . As the head of NIAID and the face of America’s response to the pandemic, Dr. Fauci certainly understood the common definition of “gain-of-function.” Yet, he repeatedly refused — both behind closed doors and to Sen. Rand Paul during a 2021 hearing — to clarify a general understanding of the term and instead only referred to his own “operative definition.

Dr. Fauci: “ So, when I, to repeat, when I’m asked is something gain of function, I’m referring to the operative definition of gain of function according to the framework of the 3PCO…That’s my definition. That is the regulatory operational definition. And as we were talking about before, other people use the word “gain of function” this, “gain of function” that, and everybody’s got their own interpretation of it.  But when you’re deciding whether a grant should be funded, this is the operational definition. And when I was asked anywhere by the Congress, by the Senate, by Senator Paul this is what I was referring to .” 

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST : Dr. Fauci claimed that his staff had no conflicts of interest regarding the origins of COVID-19, yet his Senior Advisor — Dr. David Morens — was “best-friends” with disgraced and soon-to-be debarred EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak . Considering Dr. Morens worked under Dr. Fauci’s leadership for more than 20 years, it seems highly unlikely that Dr. Fauci was genuinely unaware of this relationship.

Majority Counsel: “ I was wondering if you had thoughts on whether Dr. Daszak should have filed competing interest statements when he was weighing in on these issues, whether through the National Academies or other venues. ”

Dr. Fauci: “ You know, I hesitate to speculate about what someone else should do. The only people that I am involved with is my own staff, who we’ve mentioned many times in this discussion, who don’t have a conflict of interest. ”

GRANT APPROVAL : Dr. Fauci testified that he signed off on every foreign and domestic NIAID grant without reviewing the proposals. He was also unable to confirm if NIAID has ANY mechanisms to conduct oversight of the foreign laboratories they fund . NIAID’s flawed grant process — which relies heavily on trusting its grantees without verifying — leaves opportunities  for adversaries to exploit.

Majority Counsel: “ Who gives the final approval? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ You know, technically, I sign off on each council, but I don’t see the grants and what they are.  I never look at what grants are there.  It’s just somebody at the end of the council where they’re all finished and they go, ‘Here,’ and you sign it .”  

Majority Counsel: “ Okay. So to your knowledge, NIAID wouldn’t kind of independently verify the biosafety of a foreign lab? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ Again, I’d have to say I’m not sure.  To my knowledge, I wouldn’t be able to make a statement that I would be confident it would be. ”

Majority Counsel: “ Do you know if NIAID grants go through any type of national security review as part of the process? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ National security review? ”

Majority Counsel: “ So, like, through the National Security Council or— “

Dr. Fauci: “ No. ”

Majority Counsel: “ —or anyone in the [intelligence community]— “

Dr. Fauci: “ Not to my knowledge .”

Majority Counsel: “ I guess what we’re trying to learn going forward is, obviously, U.S. labs are vetted, certified, and there’s a standard of how U.S. labs operate. Are foreign labs held to the same standard as U.S. labs when they receive U.S. money, or are they the standards of the country in which they operate? ” 

Dr. Fauci: “ I am not certain. I have heard again, I think it was subsequent to of course, that was never brought up. ”

Majority Counsel: “ Uh huh. ”

Dr. Fauci: “ When I was the director, no one ever asked me, you know, who determines, you know, what the standards of a foreign lab are. But so the answer to your question is I don’t know, okay? ”

FEIGNED IGNORANCE : Dr. Fauci claimed he “did not recall” numerous issues and events surrounding the pandemic more than 100 times . Specifically, Dr. Fauci testified that despite the fact EcoHealth Alliance was conducting risky gain-of-function research in China, he did not know any details about the grant, nor did he maintain a relationship with its President, Dr. Peter Daszak.

Majority Counsel: “ Do you recall when you first found out that the year 5 progress report was missing from the EcoHealth grant? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ I don’t recall precisely.  It was somewhere on a briefing that the staff gave to me.  I don’t know exactly when that was.  It could have been later.  I don’t know. ”

Majority Counsel: “ Okay.  Do you think, just to the best of your recollection, whether it was before you were aware that the year 5 progress report was late before May 2021 or it would have been after? ”

Dr. Fauci: “ I don’t recall. ”